1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and system for scaling the video-processing task by regulating the power consumption of a video processor.
2. Description of the Related Art
The speed of microprocessors has increased dramatically over the past several years. As a result, microprocessors are capable of handling more complex applications in much shorter periods of time. However, a significant increase in the speed requires a substantial increase in the power consumed by the microprocessor, thus requiring more powerful power supplies. In portable computing devices, the available source of power is limited but the peak power and the average power that are consumed by the microprocessor have significantly increased. As a result, streaming a video source to limited power devices (i.e., hand-held devices, portable devices, and cellular phones) typically results in a poor image quality. Although the limited computation resources on these devices may cause poor image quality, the main cause is due to the limited power available in these devices.
Accordingly, there is a need to improve the usage of a battery power consumption in a portable device by regulating the power consumed by the video processor thereof.